I make these whenever I need something that feels genuinely homemade and cozy, not just baked goods but the kind of thing that makes the whole house smell incredible and everyone wanders into the kitchen asking what’s going on. The dough is almost impossibly soft — like, embarrassingly soft — and inside every roll there’s a pocket of sweet fruity jam. Then you dip them in a light sugar syrup and roll them in shredded coconut while they’re still warm. I know it sounds like a lot of steps but the whole thing is easier than it looks and completely worth it.
For the dough:
- 1¼ cups warm milk
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast (one standard packet)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5½ cups all-purpose flour
For the filling:
- plum jam or any thick jam you love — I’ve used blackberry, apricot, and even Smucker’s strawberry preserves and they all work great
For the syrup:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ cups water
For rolling:
- 1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
Start with the dough. Pour the warm milk into a large bowl, stir in the yeast, a pinch of the sugar, and 3 or 4 tablespoons of the flour. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to bubble — that means the yeast is alive and happy. Then add the oil, eggs, vanilla, and the rest of the sugar. Gradually add the flour, mixing as you go, until you have a really soft, smooth dough that doesn’t stick to your hands at all. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into 5 equal balls. Roll each one out very thin and cut it into 8 triangles, like you’re cutting a pizza. Put a heaping teaspoon of jam at the wide end of each triangle, fold the edges in slightly to keep the filling from leaking out, and roll it up toward the tip. You should end up with 40 little crescent-shaped rolls total.
Arrange them on a lined baking sheet with a little space between each one, then let them rest another 15 minutes to puff up a bit. Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes until they’re just barely golden — you don’t want them too dark or they’ll lose that softness.
While they’re baking, make the syrup. Stir the sugar into the water in a small saucepan, bring it to a boil, and let it cook for 5 minutes. That’s it.
Here’s the part that makes these special: as soon as the rolls come out of the oven and are still warm, brush or lightly dip the tops in the syrup — don’t soak them, just a light coating — then immediately roll them in the shredded coconut. The coconut sticks perfectly and the whole thing smells like a little tropical bakery.
They stay soft for days, though in my house they’re usually gone by the next morning.
